Effortlessly straddling the genres of memoir and military history, Always Faithful: A Story of the War in Afghanistan, the Fall of Kabul, and the Unshakable Bond Between a Marine and an Interpreter is a standout among the literature emanating from America’s two-decade conflict in Afghanistan.
Alternating between the perspectives of authors Marine Corps Maj. Tom Schueman and Afghan interpreter Zainullah Zaki, Always Faithful gives readers a powerful mechanism for understanding the lasting impact our Afghanistan ventures have had. Both for Afghans who supported the United States and for military personnel carrying out the often messy policy directives of senior leaders.
Always Faithful’s central theme is the relationship that Zaki and Schueman formed through conflict. In fall 2010, Zaki arrived in the volatile Sangin district, Helmand province, to be the interpreter for Schueman’s platoon, part of the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. Zaki’s duties were to speak with locals and help Marines navigate complex cultural terrain. Zaki went above and beyond, showing himself willing to fight beside the Marines, even as the dangerous combat zone cost 25 Marines their lives and wounded 180 more.
On one harrowing day, an explosion left Schueman temporarily unconscious. He awoke to find Zaki standing over him, holding his weapon to protect him against the enemy. The moment was clarifying. As Schueman writes, “Like a Marine, Zak was an active member of First Platoon. He did not shy away from danger. He did not question doing whatever the mission demanded, because he was committed to it, for Afghanistan. Zainullah Zaki ran to the sound of the guns in a way that would have made a Marine infantry instructor smile.”
When the mantle of leadership grew heavy, Schueman could speak candidly with his interpreter, who came to admire the way Schueman and the Marines navigated the trials of the battlefield. “[Marines] are normal people who want to be something more,” Zaki writes. “Because they want to be special, and because they believe they can be, they are. The Marines are people who never quit, simply because they promise to always be faithful … [Schueman] never stopped trying to make the situation better. … I knew he would always be there for me if I needed him.”
Zaki needed Schueman in 2016 when he applied to the special immigrant visa program to find safety in the U.S. for his family. For five years, the two men fought against bureaucracy with no success. In spring 2021, Schueman engaged a coterie of media, government, and military personnel to help Zaki escape Afghanistan as ever more territory fell to the Taliban in the lead-up to the U.S. withdrawal.
A highlight of Always Faithful is the dogged struggle that ensued to extract Zaki and his family physically. Schueman raised funds to help Zaki move his family to Kabul, acquire passports, and set up a small apartment near Hamid Karzai International Airport. For days, Schueman and his contacts worked to help Zaki’s family brave sweltering heat, Taliban guards, and overwhelming crowds, only to return to their apartment. Finally, on Aug. 18, 2021, Zaki’s family would enter Hamid Karzai International Airport and start a several-month-long journey to the U.S.
Schueman’s and Zaki’s unique perspectives resonate throughout their storytelling. Schueman devotes many fond remembrances to his friends who died in service in Sangin, or in subsequent years. Zaki’s segments often reflect on the importance he placed on fighting for a future in which Afghanistan could be free. Now, even Zaki’s future is uncertain. As Schueman told me in an interview several weeks ago, Zaki is still having trouble procuring his special immigrant visa.
Always Faithful is a powerful and compelling union of Schueman’s and Zaki’s narratives. Approachable for any audience, it is a must-read for those hoping to come to terms with our Afghanistan endeavors. As Schueman writes, “The last two decades have left us all feeling a little skeptical and foolish. It also produced a bounty of heroes. I hope that through a collective remembrance of those who perished in the fields of folly we bequeath our successors a peace worthy of their sacrifice.”
Beth Bailey (@BWBailey85) is a freelance writer from the Detroit area.
